The Blindness of a Fool
by Thelchtereia
Summary: Fuji Syusuke has always admired his friend and now vicecaptain from afar, but when his sister picks up on this and the family intervenes how will he deal with it? set the year before the anime & manga. TezukaFuji, rated for violence and mild language.
1. Black Rain

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis, any of the characters, or most of the idea. That is all copyright Takeshi Konomi, I'm merely adding my own thoughts and expanding on some characters for absolutely no profit or gain.

**Warnings:** Rated T for yaoi and maybe language later on.

**Author's Note:** Here's chapter one of my hopefully on-going story. Unlike the other ones, it's in third person x) though it usually follows one person per chapter. So, feel free to read and review, I love hearing from people.

Rain fell down in thick silver sheets over the grounds of Seishuin Gakuen Middle School, dampening not only the air but also the moods of the students. The normally bustling tennis courts were eerily silent, though there were voices coming from the locker room.

"Practice is cancelled for today; everyone go home and get some rest." Tezuka's voice easily overpowered the multiple conversations going on between the other tennis club members, and everyone fell silent at the news.

"Well, that's obvious, Tezuka, it's been raining like this all day." Kikumaru pouted under his breath, glaring out the window at the pouring rain.

Tezuka turned to look at him, obviously having heard the red-head's comment in the now silent room. Kikumaru turned around slowly to see Tezuka's eyes on him and quickly latched on to Oishi's arm.

"Let's go, Oishi." Kikumaru pulled the taller boy toward the door, and Oishi sent an apologetic glance back to Tezuka before disappearing out into the rain.

One by one the locker room emptied until only Tezuka and Fuji remained. After a few moments of silence, Fuji abandoned the pretense of searching in his locker for something. Turning around to face the vice-captain, Fuji leaned up against the locker next to his and calmly waited for Tezuka to finish getting his stuff together.

"What is it Fuji?"

The tensai opened his mouth, but said nothing, his nerves getting the better of him for the moment. Fuji wet his lips with his tongue, vividly aware of the fact that Tezuka was watching him closely as he zipped up his tennis bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go get something to eat." Fuji's voice was softer than usual, but he held Tezuka's gaze evenly as he waited for an answer.

Tezuka walked around Fuji toward the door and turned around in the doorway.

"Let's go."

Fuji turned away to close his locker and smiled triumphantly. When he turned back his usual smile was in place and he had his tennis bag and an umbrella in hand. He had been waiting for an opportunity like this, but Tezuka's immediate acceptance and clipped words had stunned the tensai into silence.

'_Of course, always the unexpected from Tezuka.'_ Fuji thought to himself as he walked past the vice-captain and out into the rain. He watched Tezuka carefully as the taller boy turned out the light and locked up, searching for a hint of Tezuka's reaction to his request.

As usual, Tezuka was unreadable, which just left Fuji frustrated and more determined. When the subject of his thoughts turned to look at him expectantly, Fuji smiled to cover his frustration. Opening the umbrella, Fuji held it up over his head and patiently waited for Tezuka to join him.

"Where to?" Tezuka walked up beside Fuji and fell into step with him as they walked toward the school's exit.

Fuji glanced up at the question and his smile warped into a mischievous grin.

"Hi-mit-su."(1) The tensai replied in a sing-song voice, deciding that it would prove interesting to tease the other boy for awhile before giving him answers.

Tezuka's lip twitched in what Fuji guessed was his version of a smirk. Pleased that he got even that much of a reaction from the stoic vice-captain, Fuji walked on with a genuine smile.

The two walked on in silence, standing close under the shelter of the umbrella. Fuji reveled in the closeness, relaxing slightly against Tezuka as he led them along. He purposely took a few less-known back roads, both to throw off Tezuka's guesses as to where they were going and also to avoid the crowded main streets.

Fuji knew it must have bothered Tezuka terribly to not know where they were going. When he glanced up he saw Tezuka's lips were curved downward very slightly in a frown. Fuji simply grinned, his sadistic side loving the fact that he had the upper hand.

Unfortunately, his victory was short-lived. When the two of them rounded the corner and a particularly familiar sushi restaurant came into view, Tezuka's frown vanished. To Fuji's dismay, his face became once again unreadable.

"Of course, Kawamura's."

In order to hide his frustration at Tezuka's unreadability, Fuji simply nodded against the vice-captain's shoulder and quickened his pace. As they neared the entrance, Fuji suddenly became reluctant to end their walk. After all, it wasn't every day he had such an obvious excuse to stand so close to Tezuka for an extended period of time.

He hesitated at the door, and for a moment he thought Tezuka hesitated with him. The door slid open in front of them, and Fuji quickly moved away from Tezuka.

Kawamura Takashi stared out at the pair of them from the doorway, surprise clearly written all over his face. For a fleeting moment Fuji found himself wishing that Tezuka was that easy to read, but he quickly pushed that out of his head.

"Fuji-kun? Tezuka-kun? What are you two doing here?"

Fuji grinned and closed the umbrella, hiding his emotions with his usual smile.

"We came to eat, of course."

Taka stood back from the doorway, and Fuji slipped by him and into the restaurant. The familiar surroundings and people around him helped to take his mind off of the awkward situation outside, but his thoughts were still scattered. His calm exterior had broken, something that usually only occurred during intense tennis matched, and Fuji was fighting to regain his composure as he heard the door shut behind him.

_'I knew I shouldn't have done that. Of course Taka-san would open the door at that exact moment. This is just and early dinner between friends. Stop acting like a giddy schoolgirl, baka(2)' _Fuji chided himself and took a deep breath to settle his nerves. He almost regained his composure completely when a hand came to rest on his shoulder and his heart rate skyrocketed once more.

Despite the effect such a simple gesture had on him, the tensai turned his head to calmly look up at Tezuka. The vice-captain's face was blank as usual, completely serious even in a casual situation.

"Go sit down, I'll bring you your food." Taka gestured toward the tables and took off in the opposite direction, calling to his father that he would take care of them.

Fuji moved away to sit at a table nearby, willing himself to stay calm as he watched Tezuka move to sit across the table from him.

A tense silence fell around them, and Fuji distracted himself from it by making a fuss of settling his tennis bag next to him. It wasn't nearly enough to save him, and he soon found himself staring down at the tabletop.

"Fuji, do you have wish you could be free of the responsibility of being a regular?"

Completely stunned, Fuji opened his mouth to quickly retort that no, of course he never wanted to get away from what they had worked so heart to get. But when the tensai looked up to see the earnest question actually meant something to the vice-captain, he paused and thought carefully over his reply.

Sure there was some pressure on them with the more intense training and the tournaments coming up, but they had worked hard all of freshman year to achieve this. Surely the last person Fuji would expect to have second thoughts would be their vice-captai--ah, that was it. This wasn't about Fuji at all.

Biting his lower lip in thought, Fuji attempted to find the best way to answer the question with this new realization in mind.

"Sometimes." He answered earnestly, but then quickly added, "But then I think about everything we've done to get here and it all seems worth it."

Tezuka seemed to be satisfied with that answer, as though he had come to that conclusion himself.

Fuji was going to elaborate, but Taka took that moment to come back with a tray laden with sushi. Despite the interruption, Fuji smiled up at Taka and thanked him before watching him walk away after another patron yelled at him to get his attention.

Turning his own attention back to Tezuka and the meal before them after a moment of sympathy for their friend, Fuji found to his delight that exactly half of the sushi was lavished with large quantities of wasabi.

An unexpected burst of laughter brought the tensai sharply out of his thoughts, and he looked up at the boy across from him to find him laughing. A blush spread quickly over Fuji's cheeks--one of the few things he couldn't control--and he found his gaze drifting downward to stare at the tabletop again.

The laughter abruptly stopped and Tezuka extended an arm over the table to lightly rest on Fuji's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. You just looked so happy." Tezuka's voice had returned to its natural seriousness, and Fuji at once regretted reacting as he had one of the few times the vice-captain's shell cracked.

The blush across his cheeks disappeared as quickly as had Tezuka's laughter, and the tensai gave hi best attempt at a normal smile.

"It's fine, I just... didn't expect it is all."

When Fuji looked up he found that Tezuka's face was as unreadable as always, though he offered a smile in return and withdrew his hand.

They ate mostly in silence, exchanging words every now and then but mostly content to enjoy the company and the food without the need for conversation. The meal was over too soon in Fuji's opinion, but Tezuka seemed just as reluctant to leave.

One of the many times that Taka passed their table, Tezuka caught his attention.

"Taka-san, how much do we owe you?"

Taka blinked at Tezuka surprise and replied with a smile, "It's on me, Tezuka. Are you guys leaving?"

Tezuka nodded, "I have a lot of homework I need to get done, and it's already getting late."

Fuji hid his disappointment behind a smile and added in a quiet voice that he had homework as well. They said their goodbyes and left Taka to calm the man at the other table who was now slurring drunkenly at him.

Fuji shot a sympathetic look back over his shoulder at Taka before opening his umbrella and stepping out into the rain with Tezuka. When they first started walking they were fairly far apart and completely silent, but as they continued on they seemed to gravitate toward each other until the backs of their hands brushed together briefly.

The tensai jumped at the contact, his heart racing as he moved that free hand to the handle of the umbrella with pretense of centering the umbrella more above their heads.

'_That was just an accident. A coincidence. It was nothing, let it go.'_ Fuji thought to himself, attempting to remain calm. He was shaking with nerves, though he attempted to pass them off as shivers from the cold.

"Are you all right, Fuji-kun?"

Fuji smiled more at Tezuka's choice of words than because he was truly all right, but when he turned his head to look at Tezuka he found that the other boy looked relieved.

"I'm fine, just cold." The tensai added for good measure, making sure that his friend was truly reassured.

Tezuka had turned his head to look down at Fuji in concern, but when he simply replied that he was cold Tezuka actually smiled.

"You mean the tensai actually has a weakness?"

Fuji's face softened as he watched Tezuka's guard drop for the second time that day as he joked. Fuji stared for a moment at his vice-captain, taking a mental picture of the way Tezuka looked when he smiled. Avoiding the jab at his ego, Fuji turned his attention to the fact that he hadn't been paying attention to where they were headed.

"Where are we going?" He quickly changed the subject but kept it light, hoping that Tezuka's guards wouldn't shoot back up as they had in the restaurant.

Much to Fuji's delight, they didn't. At least, not completely, but he was still the vice-captain and that showed.

"Train stop. I can't have you catching a cold before our next match." Tezuka's voice was light but serious as he abruptly stopped text to the tracks and waited for the oncoming train.

Fuji stopped beside him, noting that he had stopped shaking and had relaxed considerably ever since Tezuka smiled.

As an afterthought to his previous comment, Tezuka added, "Besides, I wouldn't want anyone else knowing your weakness." _I want to be the only one._ The unspoken words Fuji heard in his head sent shivers down his spine, but the train pulled into the station and Fuji was able to pass it off as another shiver from the cold.

Fuji closed his umbrella as they boarded the train to find that it was standing room only, and even that was scarce. Unfortunately when it rained everyone got the same idea. The pair of them forced their way into the crowd of people, and Fuji's pulse raced as he found himself pinned up against Tezuka.

The whole ride was torture as the train curved along its tracks and Fuji found himself at times leaning against Tezuka enough to make him blush. If Tezuka noticed this at all, it didn't show, and for that Fuji was grateful.

After what seemed like hours of pleasant (if embarrassing) torture, Fuji found they had come to the stop around the corner from his house. Pushing through the crowd to get to the door was harder than it looked, and Fuji had barely stepped out the doors when they slammed shut behind him and the train took off.

To his surprise, Tezuka was standing beside him looking as violated as Fuji was sure he was. The tensai had to bite his lower lip to keep from laughing at the expression on his vice-captain's face, but it soon became apparent that Tezuka was fighting just as hard as Fuji was to not smile.

Fuji broke first, chuckling very softly as he let go of his treasured control for the now third time that day. Tezuka didn't laugh, but he smiled broadly which Fuji accepted as a huge improvement.

The rain had subsided into a light sprinkle, which Fuji only noticed when he reached to life his umbrella to find he wasn't being drenched. He opted to leave it down as he and Tezuka walked in a companionable silence to the street corner where they explained to each other that their houses were in opposite directions.

Disappointed that their time was coming to an end, Fuji sent a half-hearted smile Tezuka's way.

"I had a nice time today, we should do this more often. Ja ne (3), Tezuka-kun." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, and his smile turned genuine as Tezuka replied simply, "Ja ne, Fuji-kun." and they walked off in opposite directions.

Fuji smiled the rest of the way home, and when he walked through the front door he found it relieving that he always smiled and so nothing would seem out of place tonight.

Except that he had walked through the door halfway through dinner.

"Syusuke, is that you?" His mother called in a worried tone from the dining room.

"Yes, it's me okaa-chan (4)" Fuji replied as he took off his shoes and exchanged them with a pair of soft beige house slippers. He walked further into the house to find his mother, brother, and sister sitting around the dinner table and in the middle of a meal.

"Where have you been, Syusuke? I was worried something might have happened to you, and you didn't answer your cell phone."

Fuji smiled sheepishly and reached into the bottom of his pocket where his cell phone lay forgotten.

"I must have forgotten to turn it on. I went out to dinner with a friend."

His mother still seemed worried as she replied, "Well, I'm glad you're okay. Are you hungry at all?"

Yuuta completely ignored the conversation and continued eating, while Yumiko seemed just as worried as their mom sounded.

"No, okaa-chan, but I have a lot of homework I need to get done."

She finally picked up on the fact that he was trying to get away and sighed as she nodded very slightly before going back to her meal. Yumiko, however, watched Fuji carefully as he walked up the stairs. She knew something was up with him and vowed to find out what.

As the rest of the family finished up their meal, Fuji walked into his room and dropped his tennis bag beside the door. The first thing he did was check on his collection of various cacti which were lined up perfectly across half of his windowsill. When he had convinced himself that they were perfectly fine, he opened his window wide to the cooling evening air and at on the windowsill beside his beloved cacti.

It was still rather overcast, but the sun was setting on the horizon and bathed the sky in a deep orange glow. With a light sigh, he relaxed and began to reflect back on the day's events, but it wasn't long before he was interrupted.

His bedroom door slid quietly open, and he turned to see his sister Yumiko standing in the doorway.

"What is it, onee-chan? (5)" He asked politely, though truthfully he was reluctant to take his eyes off of the sunset for long.

Yumiko closed the door behind her and walked toward him with concern clearly written on her face.

"What happened today, Syusuke-chan? You're acting strange."

Fuji looked away from her and back out the window.

"Nothing happened; I just went out to dinner with a friend." He replied as nonchalantly as he could manage.

"Ah," Yumiko smirked knowingly, "a friend you like as more than a friend."

Fuji froze and frowned before he turned to face her.

"Is it that obvious?"

Yumiko giggled at his expression. "I just know you, Syusuke. So was it a date?"

"No."

"Did you want it to be?"

Fuji's answer was quiet. So quiet that Yumiko would've had to learn in to hear it if she didn't already know the answer.

"Yes."

"So why don't you just ask her out on a date?"

Fuji was glad his blush didn't give away how relieved he was that his sister assumed his crush was a girl, but that didn't make it any less difficult to play along.

"It's not that simple." He paused and only continued after he was sure she wouldn't let him go without elaborating. "She's captain of her club and takes her duties very seriously, so she's distant."

Yumiko sat down on the end of her brother's bed and paused a moment thoughtfully.

"But you got her to go out to dinner with you tonight."

Fuji only nodded. "That's because practice was cancelled." He cursed inwardly at drawing too close to the truth, but knew that if he tried to cover it up now it would only look more suspicious.

"Alright, so if it rains tomorrow ask her out on a dinner date."

Fuji sighed heavily. He couldn't expect her to give every good advice with what limited information he was willing to give up.

"But I don't want to scare hi--er away, we're really good friends." Fuji cursed inwardly again for almost messing up, but Yumiko didn't seem to notice.

"Alright, how about this: if it rains tomorrow invite her out to dinner and hint that you want to be more than friends. If she responds well, keep hinting until you get up enough courage to ask her out. If not, stop and go back to just being friends before she catches on."

Fuji smiled at her as he listened to her plan. "Thanks, onee-chan."

Yumiko beamed; "Anything for my otouto-chan. (6)" She stood abruptly and ruffled his hair lovingly with one hand. "Be sure to tell me how it goes." Yumiko winked and turned to walk out the door, closing it quietly.

Fuji sat there for a few moments thinking over his sister's plan. Aside from a few minor changes, it didn't seem like that bad of an idea. But how does one go about hinting to a male friend that you want to be more than friends?

Fuji regretted that he couldn't just ask his sister for help and spill all the true details. He was alone on this part. The tensai sat there on his windowsill for several hours thinking about Tezuka and forming a plan.

His homework would have to wait.

A/N: Japanese words:

1: Himitsu - secret  
2: Baka - idiot or stupid  
3: Ja ne - a quick and friendly way to say 'see you later'  
4: Okaa-chan - a cute and rather childish way to say 'mom'. Since we never really see the Fuji family, I'm taking a liberty and saying that all the children are rather close with their mother and feel comfortable using such a term.  
5: Onee-chan - sister  
6: Otouto-chan - little brother. I'm not sure if Yumiko would use this for Syusuke, seeing as how Yuuta is the little brother so feel free to correct me on this.


	2. The Ache of My Heart

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis, any of the characters, or most of the idea. That is all copyright Takeshi Konomi, I'm merely adding my own thoughts and expanding on some characters for absolutely no profit or gain.

**Warnings:** Rated T for yaoi and maybe language later on. The rating may go up to 'M' for some violence in later chapters.

**Author's Note: **Here's chapter two, and yes there's more Fuji and Tezuka in the rain. Before anyone says anything, yes I feel terrible about how I'm treating poor Fuji T-T but I'll make up for it later.

Ketchup for Blood: Of course this chapter will have more TezuFuji time, I'm still setting up the plot after all. As for the 'telling' and not 'showing, I think it's because I've been writing in first person lately but I didn't want to do that for this story so I'm trying to change back xx; evidently it isn't working all that well, but I hope that this chapter is better. I am still sort of introducing everything at the moment as I imagine it (seeing as none of this was in the anime) so it could be that too. Anyways, I hope this chapter is more to your liking.

Animestar73: Well, let's just say Yuuta's attitude toward him in the anime isn't just because he keeps being compared to him. :X But as a hint, his family is going to be the least of his worries soon.

Meino Nanako: I can't imagine how hard it was for poor Syusuke to play along, but yeah it's a little bit of a problem xD Here's a little bit more of Tezuka and Fuji in the rain, enjoy

masi: Heh, you'll find out eventually, but for now Fuji has other problems. I'll get back to that later though, don't worry.

------

The soft chime of Fuji's cell phone pulled him from his sleep, and he very reluctantly let go of the dream he'd been having. Without opening his eyes, Fuji reached out blindly toward his bedside, grabbed his cell phone, flipped it open and put it to his ear.

"Hello?" He asked in a sleepy growl. He hadn't even checked who it was, but was mildly curious as to who would be calling him this early in the morning.

"Sorry for waking you, Fuji," Tezuka's voice came through the phone and for a moment Fuji wondered if he was still dreaming, "but tennis practice for the morning is cancelled. It's still pouring rain."

Slightly disappointed by the news, Fuji paused a moment to keep it from his voice.

"Ah, alright Tezuka. I'll see you at school later then."

Tezuka made a noise of agreement. "Go back to sleep, Fuji."

The line went dead, and Fuji waited for the dial tone before it registered that Tezuka had hung up on him. His attempt at a chuckle came out as more of a purr as he rolled over and placed the cell phone back on his nightstand.

The tensai lay there on his back staring at the ceiling and attempted to recall his dream. The details eluded him, but his mind still seemed hazy from the happiness of the events that had taken place in his mind as he slept. After a few moments of fighting with himself he gave in and accepted the fact that he would never know.

All he knew was it had been a very good dream, and his body was--in its own way--screaming that fact at him in a way that made him flush slightly in embarrassment even though there was no one there to witness it.

Despite Tezuka's order, Fuji found that sleep was evading him in favor of torturing him with that lingering haze of happiness brought on by his dream. His newly acquired problem was uncomfortable as well, and more distracting by the second.

Letting out a sigh, Fuji rolled out of bed and shut off his un-used alarm. So much for extra sleep.

Slipping out his bedroom door and into the hallway almost noiselessly, the tensai quickly made his way to the bathroom before anyone else took it over. It was still early, but Yuuta did have school and he could never keep track of his sister's work schedule.

Only when the bathroom door shut behind him with a satisfying click did Fuji let himself relax. He slowly stripped out of his clothes and tossed them toward the hamper in the corner, stretching as he made his way toward the shower.

Normally he would brush his teeth while waiting for the water to warm up, but this morning was different. Fuji turned on the water and jumped in, biting his lower lip to cut off a yelp as the icy cold water came into contact with his skin.

He truly loathed cold showers, but had long since figured out how to deal with it in his own home. The water took a ridiculously long time to warm up, but by the time it had warmed it had also had the desired effect on his body.

Basking in the now warm water, Fuji washed his hair and body lazily, taking a much longer shower than usual. Just as he shut off the water there was a loud pounding on the bathroom door.

"Aniki (1), hurry up! I need to take a shower." Yuuta called out, and then muttered quietly so that he didn't think Fuji would ear, "You're worse than onee-chan."

Fuji grinned, having heard his brother clearly, and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and roughly dried off his hair before idly wrapping it about his waist and vacating the bathroom.

Yuuta was slouched against the wall beside the door glaring at the wall across from him, and he quickly stood up as his brother walked out.

"It's about time." He grumbled under his breath, his eyes widening slightly at Fuji's state of undress before he disappeared into the bathroom.

Fuji's grin turned into a wry smirk as he walked down the hall to his bedroom and shut the door behind him before shedding his towel. The morning was cool thanks to the rain and Fuji hurriedly pulled one of his school uniforms out of his closet and tugged it on.

He patiently waited for Yuuta to be done in the bathroom--taking the time to check on his various cacti displayed on the windowsill--before taking it over one last time to finish getting ready.

After eating his share of the breakfast his mother had prepared while her children were fighting over the shower, Fuji collected his school things--plus an umbrella--and pulled a warm coat over his school uniform before walking out into the rain.

There was still a considerable amount of time before school began, but Fuji used the time by walking to school instead of taking the train. By the time he arrived at Seishuin Gakuen Middle School, the tensai was just in time for the first class of the day.

He carefully chose his seat directly behind Tezuka, but the vice-captain seemed to be too absorbed into his thoughts to even notice. Several hours later, while the teacher droned on about mathematics, Fuji carefully folded a piece of paper in half and hastily scribbled a note.

Last night was fun, ne Tezuka? Stealthily sliding the note under Tezuka's arm and onto the corner of his desk, Fuji sat back in his chair and hid behind his usual smile.

When Tezuka spared a glance backward to the tensai, Fuji could almost hear his voice in his head counting off the number of laps he would have to run for his choice of words had they been in practice. As it was, Tezuka held no power in the classroom, and so he resigned himself to writing a reply.

Fuji soon found the corner of the sheet of paper poking at his knee under his desk, and he reached to retrieve it and read over Tezuka's perfect handwriting.

You shouldn't be so happy that tennis practice was cancelled. You might get rusty, and then how would you beat me?

Fuji fought hard to repress his laughter. Of course Tezuka wouldn't fall for such obvious bait; perhaps he should try harder. Picking up his pen, the tensai quickly scrawled a reply.

I don't know, I'd say we got just as much of a workout last night as we would at any tennis practice. I guess all that stamina training really does pay off. Fuji's eyes sparkled with mischief that he didn't even bother hiding behind a smile as he prodded the back of Tezuka's elbow with the corner of the piece of paper.

He watched carefully as Tezuka took the note and read it, noting the way that he subtly stiffened in his chair. Fuji fought back the giggle that had lodged itself in his throat while Tezuka turned in his chair to glance at the tensai.

His face was a stoic as always, but his eyes were narrowed ever so slightly, and he was regarding the other boy with a mixture of curiosity and indignation.

Fuji smiled back at the vice-captain, happy to have broken his stoic mask if only slightly and for a moment; he seemed to be the only one who could accomplish even that. Regardless, Fuji didn't get the note back which made his smile slip into a grin that remained for most of the period.

When lunch finally rolled around, the rain had finally died down. As soon as the bell rang and Fuji stepped out into the hallway, Kikumaru came bounding down the corridor and slung an arm over the tensai's shoulders.

"Nya, Fujiko-chan, let's go eat lunch on the roof while it's not raining."

By the time they finally arrived on the roof with their lunches they had grown from a group of two to a group of nine. Most of the tennis regulars were present, minus Yamato-buchou and one other person, and Kikumaru had also rounded up the two freshmen who were always fighting.

It was rather crowded on the rooftop, but Fuji managed to be one of the first ones up there and secured a spot next to the wall where he could lean up against the fence and eat his lunch in relative comfort.

Tezuka ended up next to him, also leaning against the fence as he ate, while Kikumaru latched onto his doubles partner. Oishi blushed and managed to settle the red-head down enough to convince him to sit down on the only slightly damp ground.

The other doubles pair, Saromi and Nakamura, settled down on the ground with less of a hassle and Saromi and Kikumaru began having a highly animated conversation while Oishi and Nakamura exchanged forlorn glances.

The last three came through the door together, Inui pushing a glowering Kaidoh through ahead of him while a brooding Momoshiro followed close behind.

"Kaidoh, you can't punch someone just for running into you in the lunch line." Inui commented dryly, glad that he was standing between the two.

Kaidoh hissed angrily; "He didn't trip, that baka Momoshiro did it on purpose."

Inui sighed heavily though his face remained expressionless as he led Kaidoh to the opposite corner of the roof next to Fuji.

Momoshiro settled on the ground next to Nakamura, feigning interest in the conversation between Saromi and Kikumaru to get his mind off of a certain idiotic freshmen.

Fuji ate his lunch in silence, watching the commotion around him with a genuine smile. Even the fighting freshmen seemed to bring him a strange form of comfort; he would never willingly give this up, the companionship that the tennis club members had.

Again, he and Tezuka ate in a companionable silence; funny that the silences between them were rarely, if ever, uncomfortable.

Fuji glanced up at him, happy that everyone else's' attention was distracted so that he wouldn't be caught, and found that his expression was ever so slightly softer than usual. The tensai smiled very softly, guessing that Tezuka pulled the same comfort from his team.

Yes, his team, for Fuji was certain he was always meant to be their buchou. While the thought of calling him 'Tezuka-buchou' lodged a giggle in his throat, and the mental picture of him calling out an absurd number of laps to an unsuspecting freshman brought that giggle past his lips, Fuji had to admit that he had always been their buchou.

The sharp chime of a bell interrupted Fuji's thoughts, and he looked down at his half-eaten lunch with a frown. Everyone slowly picked up their trash and gathered their things to head inside, and Fuji waited for everyone else to go ahead of him so that he could enjoy his last few moments of freedom.

Ten minutes into the last class of the day, it started pouring rain. Fuji wasn't sure whether to be depressed or excited as he watched the rain splatter against the window, so he sort of settled between the two and impatiently waited for class to end.

Despite the fact that it was pouring rain, the tennis club members still had to meet even if it was just to say that practice was canceled. So, all of the members convened in the small club house and waited for Ryuzaki-sensei to announce that they could go home.

"Hey, Momoshiro, stop whining like a girl."

"What did you say mamushi?"

"Oi, Inui! They're fighting again, nya."

"Minna!" Ryuzaki's voice overpowered everyone, and even Momoshiro and Kaidoh stopped fighting.

"Well, practice is canceled," several people started moving toward the door and Ryuzaki-sensei raised her voice angrily, "but, before you all leave Yamato is going to announce the placing for the tournament which will hopefully begin tomorrow."

Everyone who had begun to leave fell silent and paused to give their captain their full attention.

"Doubles two will be Kikumaru and Oishi, doubles one is Nakamura and Saromi, singles three Fuji, singles two will be me, and singles one Tezuka. Inui, you will be the reserve player."

After Yamato finished speaking he waved at them in dismissal and watched as more than half of them raced for the door. With an exasperated sigh, he turned and began gathering his own things together. However, he only seemed more at ease when Tezuka offered to lock up for the day.

After making sure everything was in order and thanking Tezuka, Yamato handed over the keys and walked out. The vice-captain stayed behind to tidy up the clubroom; something hat all these people who had left in a hurry obviously overlooked on purpose.

It was a job the freshmen usually took care of, but Tezuka didn't mind doing it for once. Not only did it remind him of some of the good times from the previous year, but he felt so restless. Two days now without practice and already he was on edge.

Sensing that someone was watching him, Tezuka paused in the middle of collecting tennis balls that had rolled out of a tipped basket in the mad rush for the door.

Fuji was standing behind him, leaning up against his locker as he had been the day before. The only difference was that today he didn't even use the pretense of rummaging in his locker to explain his presence. He made it clear why he was there; he was waiting for Tezuka.

Turning slowly to face the tensai, Tezuka glanced at him questioningly and was stunned twice-over by the bright blue eyes that gazed calmly back. Not that he showed any of this on his face, which frustrated Fuji to no end.

"Why don't you join me for dinner again, Fuji-kun. You didn't eat much at lunch, you must be starving."

It was more of an order than a question, but Fuji felt a thrill of excitement go through him at the words. Perhaps this wasn't completely lost cause after all, but it would be stupid to get his hopes up now. After all, he was always a vice-captain before he was a friend and he could always be looking out for the tensai for the good of the team.

Unconsciously hiding these thoughts behind a smile, Fuji didn't see Tezuka's face fall slightly as he closed himself off.

"I'd love to, Tezuka-kun." The tensai replied, chuckling softly as his comment was punctuated by a discontented growl from his stomach.

Tezuka finished the task of picking up the scattered tennis balls and put a couple of stacks of paper in order before grabbing his tennis bag and heading for the door. Fuji followed close behind and quickly opened his umbrella as they stepped out into the rain.

The tensai waited patiently as Tezuka locked up the club house and fell into step beside him as he headed toward the front gate of the school. When they reached it, Tezuka turned in the opposite direction from where they usually went and Fuji frowned slightly in confusion.

"Ne, Tezuka, where are we going?"

Fuji could've sworn he saw a smirk on Tezuka's lips, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come as he replied, "Hi-mit-su." in a sing-song voice.

Fuji chuckled at the mockery of himself and nodded slightly.

"Fair enough." They continued to walk in silence down the nearly deserted streets that were rather unfamiliar to Fuji.

The first time their hands brushed together, Fuji swore that it was just a coincidence and turned his face away to hide his blush. The second time it happened, Fuji quickly pulled his hand away and glanced up at Tezuka to see only his ever stoic mask firmly in place. The third time, Fuji blushed furiously but forced himself to leave his hand there.

Just as he was beginning to relax, Tezuka abruptly turned so that Fuji practically ran into him before he turned to face the restaurant they had come to a stop in front of. It was rather small and easily overlooked, the two shops on either side dwarfing it with their flamboyant neon signs and gaudy window displays.

As Fuji took in the sight of the place, Tezuka gently grabbed him by the elbow and led him inside. It was a very old-fashioned restaurant with the workers in traditional dress and tables that were low to the floor.

Fuji was going to turn to Tezuka and berate him for not mentioning the restaurant was so fancy--at least then he would have known to go home and change out of his school uniform--but when he turned he found Tezuka talking rather familiarly with one of the serving women.

A pang of jealousy went through the tensai, but before he had the time to brood over it he felt a gentle tug at his elbow and all thoughts of the woman flew from his mind.

Fuji became keenly aware of the fact that Tezuka was still holding on to him, and his heart began to race as the woman led them to a table in the far corner. He didn't miss the fact that they were placed in the quietest corner of the restaurant, nor that it had a wonderful view of the traditional Japanese garden off to one side.

It wasn't that he didn't notice, but he didn't want to give in to hope and then be completely heartbroken when all of this turned out to be a huge coincidence.

"I come here sometimes after practice. My mom used to bring me here when I was younger."

Fuji turned back to Tezuka and smiled slightly to show he'd heard. That explained why he was so familiar with the waitress earlier, and why he was so comfortable here without a thought to their school uniforms.

Smiling to hide his disappointment, Fuji quickly decided to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"Ah, so that's why I don't see you on my way home."

Tezuka only nodded stoically, and the serving woman from earlier returned before Fuji even knew if Tezuka was going to reply. The fact that they were in a restaurant had completely left his mind, but before that even set in Tezuka was already ordering for the both of them.

After the woman left again, the tension between them returned and hung thick in the air. Conversation had never come easy to either of them, and it seemed to be no exception when they were together.

Fuji lowered his gaze to the table and racked his brain for something to say that would break the silence between them. Despite the fact that he hadn't heard what Tezuka ordered for him, Fuji wasn't even minutely interested in the food or even in their surroundings.

It seemed that everything paled in comparison to what he wished he could be bold enough to begin with Tezuka. All day he had been repeating last night's conversation with his sister over and over in his head and wishing that there was yet some form of help to it that he hadn't yet discovered. Unfortunately, if there was, he had yet to find it even as the day waned.

When the tensai looked up from the table at Tezuka, he found that he was being watched very closely. There was something in Tezuka's gaze that caught his attention, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't look away.

He wasn't sure how long they sat there, simply looking straight into each other's eyes. Honestly, it was refreshing. Neither of them was inclined to show emotion, and Fuji doubted if they'd ever once looked each other straight in the eye.

It seemed that now they were making up for lost time, but even as the minutes ticked by Fuji felt his heart quickening its pace within his chest. Was he just imagining the display of emotion, or was Tezuka almost... encouraging the plan Fuji had been rolling around in his head since the previous night?

The tensai honestly couldn't tell. He'd wanted to see some sort of look or an opening from the vice-captain all day, but with Tezuka's calm and emotionless exterior Fuji wondered if he was waiting for the impossible.

The tension between them slowly dissipated as the silence thickened and the two of them lost themselves in their thoughts. Now the situation was achingly familiar, this being the way they spent their time together '92.7 percent of the time' as Inui had once calculated.

Before they both knew it, the woman returned with their food and pulled Fuji roughly out of his planning. Suddenly reminded of where they were, Fuji found that he was now mildly curious as to what Tezuka had ordered for him.

When he looked down at the plate set before him and saw the beef heavily lavished with curry, Fuji grinned genuinely and looked up at Tezuka with his eyes shining in delight. In return, Tezuka's eyes crinkled in amusement and one corner of his mouth quirked upward in the closest thing to a smile anyone had ever gotten out of him.

Delighted at Tezuka's reaction, Fuji laughed softly before happily digging into his meal. He savored every bite, enjoying the flavor and the spice and attempting to ignore the fact that he felt Tezuka's eyes on him constantly throughout the meal.

As usual, they ate in near silence punctuated by a comment or a laugh every now and then. When they were done, Tezuka insisted on paying to the point of having to physically hold Fuji down as he handed over the correct amount of money--and if he noticed the shudder that passed through Fuji's body as he did so he didn't show it.

After a brief argument--punctuated by a fit of giggles on Fuji's part at the indignant look on Tezuka's face--the vice-captain agreed to let the grinning tensai leave the tip. They gave the waitress a brief farewell and walked out the door onto the streets once more.

A light drizzle was still falling from the sky, and above their heads the sun was attempting to pierce through the clouds. Lifting his umbrella from his side, Fuji opened it above their heads and linked his arm around Tezuka's before he could stop himself.

Tezuka glanced over at him and his lips quirked again in that almost-smile, but he curled his arm slightly around Fuji's instead of moving away.

The tensai's heart was pounding against his ribs as though trying to free itself from the prison of his chest, but by this point Fuji was long used to his quickening pulse and the rush of adrenaline that assaulted him.

They slowly made their way to the train stop which Tezuka explained he often used. After a short wait, they got on the next train heading to the opposite side of town.

Thankfully, the train was much less crowded than it had been the day before, and they claimed a part of the bench near the doors. As they settled in their seats, Fuji hesitated for a moment before letting his head fall sideways onto Tezuka's shoulder with a sigh. A sideways glance told him that Tezuka was fighting against years of habit to relax.

Wondering if he would be able to calm his friend down, Fuji took a chance.

"Ne, Tezuka, I miss tennis."

Almost immediately Tezuka relaxed and he nodded with a distant look in his eyes.

"Yeah, I do too."

After a moment's pause, Fuji continued, "Do you think we'll be okay in the tournament tomorrow? We haven't practiced in three days now."

This time Tezuka paused and pursed his lips in thought before replying; "We'll be alright."

Despite his words, his tone was none too convincing, but Fuji decided to believe him anyways.

"Perhaps better than usual, since we all want to play so badly."

He was rewarded with that same quirk of Tezuka's lips, and was satisfied. The rest of the ride passed in silence, and when the train pulled up to their stop Tezuka gently nudged Fuji.

The tensai stood and--suddenly feeling bolder--offered a hand to Tezuka to help him up. He fought down a new adrenaline rush as Tezuka took his hand and he pulled the vice-captain up from the bench. Instead of releasing his hand and walking out the doors, Fuji held on to Tezuka's hand and pulled him along.

He was suddenly glad he was in front so that Tezuka couldn't see his blush as he walked out onto the platform and past it to the street. As they approached the corner, Fuji released Tezuka's hand and prepared to say goodbye, but Tezuka wordlessly grabbed his elbow gently with one hand and turned him in the direction of the tensai's house.

Fuji found it odd that Tezuka would walk him home just to walk in the opposite direction, but he didn't question it. The honey-haired tensai continued to walk in silence, and Tezuka followed suit as they continued toward Fuji's house.

The whole walk there, Fuji was debating saying something but didn't know if he wanted to break their familiar silence. By the time he decided to say something, they had already reached the front porch of his house and he decided to let the idea drop.

He turned around on the doorstep to face Tezuka, and yet as the seconds went by and Tezuka lingered without saying goodbye the silence went from comfortable to awkward in a matter of seconds.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Fuji-kun." Tezuka turned to leave, and after a moment's hesitation Fuji caught him by the elbow.

"Tezuka, wait." Fuji pulled gently, and Tezuka turned back around. Before he had even turned around completely, Fuji leaned forward and closed the distance between them until their lips met in a kiss.

It only lasted a split second, but to Fuji it felt as though the world stopped around him. For one blissful moment Fuji reveled in the feeling of Tezuka's lips against his, but it didn't last.

"Aniki?" Yuuta's startled voice sounded from behind them, and Fuji jumped back so quickly that Tezuka stumbled backward a step.

Yuuta stood at the street a few paces away with his tennis bag over one shoulder. He hadn't moved from where he stood after he rounded the corner, and he was looking back and forth between Tezuka and his brother in shock.

There had been so many times when Fuji wished that he could read Tezuka's emotions, but now as he looked down at the shock on his face he really wished he hadn't seen it at all.

Fuji backed away slowly until his back was pressed up against the door, and he muttered quietly under his breath; "I'm sorry, Kunimitsu."

Turning quickly away, Fuji opened the door and fled inside.

When he closed the door behind him he leaned against it briefly, his chest heaving with each breath.

"Yuuta, is that you?" Yoshiko called from the kitchen.

Fuji took a deep shuddering breath to steady his voice before he chanced a reply.

"No, it's me okaa-chan."

His mother walked around the corner from the dining room into the entryway just as he was changing into his house slippers.

"Ah, Syusuke. You're just in time for dinner this time."

Fuji was only able to manage a smile because he was so practiced at it, and even his own mother didn't notice it was forced.

"I already went out for dinner with a friend, mom."

Yumiko poked her head around the corner at this news, and from the mischievous grin on her face Fuji knew he wasn't going to get out of this as easily as he had yesterday.

"Syusuke-chan, did you go out to dinner with your girlfriend again?"

Fuji blushed furiously and barely stepped out of the way in time as the door swung open behind him and Yuuta walked in.

"She's not my girlfriend, onee-chan." Fuji replied indignantly, struggling to not stumble over the pronoun.

Yoshiko raised her eyebrows in question, but everyone turned their attention to Yuuta as he walked in on the conversation.

Yuuta paused in the doorway and looked Fuji straight in the eye as if in challenge. Considering what he knew, Fuji silently pleaded with his brother not to say anything.

Noting the sudden tension Yuuta had brought inside with him, Yoshiko quickly commented; "Yuuta, you're just in time for dinner."

Tearing his gaze away from Fuji, Yuuta set down his bag and quickly changed into his house slippers and disappeared into the dining room.

Fuji had to fight not to sigh in relief as Yuuta walked silently by him. Yumiko had turned and walked out as well, leaving Fuji alone in the entryway with his mother.

"Why don't you join us for dinner anyway, Syusuke."

Her words were more of an order than a question, but Fuji didn't think he could stand much more of their questioning; especially after what had just happened.

"I have a lot of homework to do, and I need my rest okaa-san (2). There's a tennis tournament tomorrow."

Fuji didn't miss the flash of hurt that went across her face, and couldn't help but feel a stab of guilt. He had always been open with his mom, always so willing to tell her anything, and yet he knew that it was best that he kept this to himself.

She nodded tersely and walked out without another word. Fuji stood there for a moment letting the guilt wash over him. He didn't even notice his hands were shaking until he picked up his tennis bag and saw it was trembling in his grasp.

Quiet noises were coming from the dining room, but Fuji noted guiltily that there was no conversation as he passed through the living room and up the stairs to his bedroom. He didn't notice the tears streaming down his face until he had closed his bedroom door behind him and reached up to wipe one away from where it was tickling his cheek.

He dropped his bag in front of the door and collapsed onto his bed facing the wall. The tensai didn't bother changing out of his school uniform, nor did he do his homework. All he could think of as his sobs silently racked his body was the look of shock and disgust that had contorted Tezuka's face and how he wished for once Tezuka had kept his stoic mask firmly in place.

1: Aniki - older brother, it's how Yuuta always addresses Syusuke.  
2: Okaa-san - Fuji's trying to put distance between himself and his mother so he's being far more formal.

All the others are repeats from the first chapter, so you can go there for refrence.


	3. Soushi Umukutou

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis, any of the characters, or most of the idea. That is all copyright Takeshi Konomi, I'm merely adding my own thoughts and expanding on some characters for absolutely no profit or gain.

**Warnings:** Rated T for yaoi and maybe language later on. The rating may go up to 'M' for some violence in later chapters.

**Author's Note: **Alright, chapter three. This one is a bit shorter than the others mainly for plot reasons, because the next one is gonna move the plot forward a whole lot. And uh, sorry that my OCs took the spotlight, I didn't mean to do that. -.-; And for the people who don't like the Tezuka/Atobe pairing, gomen, it's only for this chapter and it's in the past.

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Moonlight-sama: I know, poor Fuji D: But I promise that eventually things will get better.

Ketchup for Blood: -grin.- I doubt I'll do crack, don't worry. Besides, from here on it's gonna get a little more angsty so I'm glad for the humor in that chapter.

SkySurf: But of course they will be, but there's gotta be some problems first.

Vierblith: xD Don't worry, I take all the blame. And sorry but there's gonna be more narration in this chapter because I've gotta tell the past. Hopefully it's interesting enough that you don't get distracted, ne?

Sheyryoma: Yup, more tefu in the rain. Ano, that'll be it for awhile. Can't have too much rain, our beloved tennis players would go insane.

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The weekend had passed in such a blur that sometimes Tezuka found himself wondering if it had happened at all. In some classes he couldn't afford to let his mind wander, but now that he had made it to history he figured it couldn't hurt. Besides, the weekend still needed far more thought if he ever hoped to understand it. Friday was still a mystery Tezuka longed to figure out, because ever since that day something around him had changed.

At first he didn't realize it, had no idea what could have caused this… difference. But it was there no matter how hard he tried to act indifferent. As the day passed it became more and more blatantly obvious, but by that point Tezuka had chosen to completely ignore it. He wasn't even sure if he did it deliberately or if it just happened that way, but by the end of the day none of that mattered anymore.

The vice-captain thought he could overlook anything; he would do anything to just pretend that the feelings between them didn't exist. And yet Fuji had done the one thing he couldn't ignore. He always was known for never showing everything about himself and yet just when Tezuka thought he knew him, the tensai pulled out something new. He showed a new side of himself that Tezuka had secretly always hoped existed, even if he never admitted it.

It was a flaw of sorts that he even admitted about himself, that he would never allow himself to even hope for what he wanted most. That way his heart could never be broken again. He'd learned the hard way before, and he would avoid it now at all costs—even if it meant losing Fuji.

Tezuka had grown up on his mother's fairytales about love and happiness, and even from a young age he knew his mother hadn't found it in her own life. She always insisted that she loved his father, but to him her answer always seemed hollow. So when Tezuka fell in love, he tried to hide it from her in a childish attempt to protect her.

Tezuka met Atobe Keigo at the elementary level Kanto tournament in the beginning of his sixth year. Tezuka beat him 7-6 with his right hand.

Atobe was furious. Not because he'd been beaten—though that was surely a part of it—but because Tezuka had gone easy on him, and he knew it. After the game, Atobe cornered him in the empty practice court where Tezuka was cooling down. Furious, he pinned the then smaller Tezuka against the practice wall.

"Why did you go easy on me?" Atobe growled out, his voice low and dangerous.

Tezuka stared blankly at him for a moment before replying as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "I wanted a challenge."

Atobe tightened his fist in the front of Tezuka's shirt, and Tezuka stood calm and collected as though the boy in front of him didn't look as though he wanted to murder him. Tezuka lifted his chin a fraction of an inch in defiance and met Atobe's gaze evenly.

And then, before his eyes the look about Atobe changed. He no longer looked furious, but just as dangerous and just as fierce. At the time, Tezuka didn't recognize the change that came over him, but he later realized Atobe only looked that way when he wanted something. And right then, he wanted Tezuka.

Unaware of that fact, Tezuka did nothing to stop him as Atobe claimed his lips. Too shocked to object; Tezuka did nothing at first but let the taller boy kiss him senseless while he reveled in the sensations. Never had he been kissed by anyone other than annoying relatives, and this certainly had a different feeling altogether.

There was a wild rush that accompanied it and felt like fire going through his veins, and when he parted his lips very slightly to let out the breath he didn't even notice he was holding, he felt something very warm and very soft trail across his lower lip. Letting out an involuntary soft moan, Tezuka nearly relaxed into Atobe's hold before he realized what he was doing. Shoving Atobe roughly back, Tezuka glared at him.

"What the hell was that all about?"

Atobe didn't reply; he simply smirked in that overly cocky manner that only Atobe could manage. Now that look was one Tezuka knew well; it was the look he got when he saw a challenge and meant to conquer it. Despite himself, a shiver went down his spine at that look and Atobe—who looked unperturbed at Tezuka's outburst—stepped forward to pin Tezuka against the wall again; this time with his body.

Tezuka struggled against him, but Atobe was bigger and every struggle Tezuka made only managed to rub their bodies together in a way that made Tezuka blush.

"Say you'll be mine, Tezuka."

Tezuka glared at him and struggled harder, but Atobe only pressed himself up more firmly against Tezuka and waited for a reply. Tezuka growled out a "No" but unfortunately that seemed to be the answer Atobe was looking for, because he smirked again in that dominating way and leaned in to kiss Tezuka again.

Ever since that day, Atobe would call Tezuka at home at least once a week and demand that Tezuka come to one of his various mansions with the pretense of practicing tennis. They would always start out doing just that, but by the end of the day Tezuka would find himself pressed up against a tennis practice wall, or the counter in the kitchen when they went in for drinks, and even once or twice against the bedpost of one of Atobe's overly large and extravagant beds.

It was a strange relationship for the fact that no matter how many times protested—and he did it often—they both knew it was a lie.

Looking back on all of this now, Tezuka understood that regardless of whether he knew it or not Fuji had done the one thing Tezuka couldn't ignore.

"Te-zu-ka." A sing-song voice caught his attention, and Tezuka turned to face the red-headed acrobat who was staring at him as though he had sprouted a third eye.

"Are you coming to lunch or are you going to sit in class all day, nya?'

Only then did it dawn on him that not only was Kikumaru not in his class, but the classroom was nearly empty and evidently it was lunchtime.

"I'm coming," he quickly replied, and packed up his things before following Kikumaru out of the room.

As usual, the majority of the tennis regulars gathered together to eat lunch, but it was only after everyone had gone through the lunch line and sat in two long rows at a table that Tezuka noticed Fuji was missing. He glanced around the room twice to be sure, and he must have made a face because Saromi was watching him as if waiting for the question.

"Where's Fuji?"

Saromi shrugged, "No one's seen him since class ended."

Next to him, Nakamura paused with a clump of rice raised halfway to his mouth.

"Maybe he got cornered by a girl again. It _is_ Fuji after all."

He grinned and exchanged a glance with Saromi that, combined with his words, caused a stirring of jealousy to awaken within Tezuka. Pushing the feeling down, Tezuka forced himself to nod and go back to his lunch as if that was a good enough answer to satisfy him. It wasn't.

Tezuka had a feeling that Fuji was avoiding him after what had happened Friday night. He knew that he had reacted badly, but he had spent the last year and a half pretending he didn't see Fuji's feelings. He had still been getting over losing Atobe after it ended badly just before he entered Jr. High, and the last thing he'd wanted was another guy chasing after him.

That was before he really got to know Fuji and found out how different he was from Atobe. So when Fuji suddenly kissed him and reminded him so vividly of what he had been through, Tezuka knew he reacted badly. And now Fuji was avoiding him.

Letting out a growl of frustration, Tezuka ignored the glances thrown his way and took his frustration out of his food by grabbing it rather viciously with his chopsticks. He tried to distract himself from his thoughts, but it wasn't working.

He kept thinking about Atobe and the way things had been, and then about Fuji and how different things would be between them. How stupid he was for reacting the way he had. He had to find Fuji.

Giving up on his meal, Tezuka stood abruptly and without giving an explanation of where he was going he threw the remainder of his food into the trash and left the lunch room.

As he walked out, he didn't hear Nakamura mutter, "You think things will work out between them?" or Saromi reply softly, "I hope so. They deserve it."

Tezuka instinctively walked out into the hall and up the stairs to the roof. He wasn't sure why, but he knew that's where Fuji would be. He took the stairs two at a time and soon found himself stranding not far from the door to the roof which was open slightly. Tezuka heard Fuji's voice, soft and calm as it always was, but he was speaking so quietly that Tezuka couldn't hear his words and assumed he was talking to himself.

Forcing himself to push the door open, Tezuka knew he would tell Fuji everything about what happened with Atobe if he had to, just to get the tensai to understand. And then he looked up and froze in his tracks. As troubled as his mind was, it went blank.

Fuji was standing with his side to Tezuka, and pressed between him and the fence was a girl Tezuka recognized as being from their class. His body was pressed flush up against hers, and they were meeting each other's kisses frantically as though they'd been denied that opportunity for weeks.

As Tezuka stood there, completely stunned by the sight before him, a light breeze picked up and blew the door open until it bumped into the wall with a resounding thump. Startled by the sound, Tezuka tore his eyes away from Fuji and turned to flee before either of them noticed he was there. He was halfway down the first flight of stairs when he heard footsteps behind him and Fuji calling out to him.

"Tezuka! Tezuka, matte!"

And from far behind them he heard the girl calling, "Syusuke, get back here! You leave me no other choice."

Tezuka didn't exactly understand what she meant, but at that point he didn't care. All he wanted was to get away from Fuji. He made it to the ground floor before Fuji caught up, and the tensai had to grab on to the back of his shirt to keep him from walking away.

"Tezuka, stop," Fuji pleaded, "It's not what you think. She's—"

Tezuka turned around slowly and forced his stoic mask into place. He would never let Fuji know how much he hurt him.

"Go to class, Fuji."

Tezuka cut the tensai off coldly and without another word he turned and walked into the classroom. He was dimly aware of the fact that the bell had rung some time go, and relieved to find that there were already people in the classroom so that Fuji didn't try to confront him. He didn't need the tensai's explanations and false hopes.

Evidently all his thoughts about the weekend were false. Just when he'd allowed himself to hope—he berated himself for even allowing that. And here he was again, in a similar situation.

Only, this time it was much worse.

Tezuka wasn't quite sure why, because he had loved Atobe and he didn't love Fuji… right? Not that it mattered anymore; even if Fuji did have feelings for him at one point he had obviously moved on. Ugh, he had to stop thinking about it; he'd waited too long and now he had to deal with it.

Not even Tezuka knew how he got through the remaining classes. His mind was so distracted that he didn't hear anything the teachers were saying, and he knew he'd have to ask someone for their notes later so that he didn't fall behind.

Somehow time passed and his classes ended, but though Tezuka tried constantly to forget what he'd seen he honestly wasn't even aware that time was passing until the final bell rang. Tezuka quickly packed up his things and left the classroom in a hurry, eager to get to the tennis clubhouse and change before everyone else was finished so that he didn't get stuck in there with Fuji who was always the last one to leave.

Surprisingly, Fuji didn't even attempt to stop him as he walked out the door. Then Tezuka remembered that the girl—Kiyoko was her name if he remembered correctly—was in their class and bitterly thought to himself that Fuji was probably waiting around to talk to her before tennis practice.

As Tezuka left the main school building behind and headed toward the tennis courts, he realized that as much as he loved tennis he really couldn't have wished more for rain.


	4. Sempre Com Irmao Issho

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Prince of Tennis, any of the characters, or most of the idea. That is all copyright Takeshi Konomi, I'm merely adding my own thoughts and expanding on some characters for absolutely no profit or gain.

**Warnings:** Rated T for yaoi and maybe language later on. The rating may go up to 'M' for some violence in later chapters.

**Author's Note: **Just as a note, Fuji's father doesn't abuse him. He's just a strict father, and this is one incident. And all of the moments between Fuji and Yuuta are completely left open for your own interpretation. More angst in this chapter, but it'll clear up soon. Enjoy

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Ketchup for Blood: Ahaha, well I suppose I should warn you again then. More angst in this chapter x) It'll go away next chapter though, I promise. As for the Atobe- and other-girl-randomness, I swear they're there for a reason. Some of which is explained in this chapter, and some of which will be explained later on.

Vierblith: xD Yeah I know, this chapter seems kinda messed up. People are probably wondering why I even put that it's a Tezuka/Fuji story, but I promise it'll get to their relationship soon. But they've gotta have some problems or I'd have no story x)

Ice sweet candy: Ah good, someone who likes all my angst. Good 'cause here's a ton more xD

Animestar73: -giggles.- My, how astute an assumption. We shall see wont we? Don't worry, you wont have to wait long, the answer's in this chapter. But I agree, no one should get in the way of their love or we'll have to hunt them down and murder them in a particularly cruel fashion –points at sharpened butter knives.-

Masi: Yup, more and more problems. Gotta have some problems, but I swear there'll be some fluff coming up soon.

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Fuji had had his share of bad days in his life, but this one really took the cake. He'd woken up ten minutes later and lost the shower to his sister, which threw him off even more. Even with taking the train, he ended up being nearly fifteen minutes late to school which meant that he had to spend the first half of lunch cleaning up the classroom. Unfortunately, there were those that loved to see the tensai suffer after he ruined the grade curve for the rest of the class, and so Fuji had his work cut out for him when class ended.

Just when he thought the day couldn't get any worse, he was cornered by a girl on his way to the lunch room. She politely informed him that her best friend was waiting for him on the roof. As much as Fuji honestly just wanted to walk past her and into the lunch room, he wasn't that sort of person. So, he thanked the girl and turned in the opposite direction to head up the stairs to the roof.

When he got there, the girl confessed as expected, but as Fuji opened his mouth to politely turn her down her entire mood changed.

"If you say no, you'd better watch your back."

Fuji froze with his mouth half open, waiting for her to laugh or say she was joking; but the words never came. She was a rather pretty girl with long, well-kept hair and pale skin, but her face was warped with anger and defiance. In response, the tensai found his guards shooting up around him, and though he smiled politely at her he spoke colder than usual.

"I can take care of myself."

It came out much more defensive than he would've liked, but Kiyoko didn't skip a beat.

"It isn't you that would need the protecting. Do you think Yuuta-kun would stand a chance against Ryuu?"

She named her brother, and immediately all of the pieces fell into place. Ryuu was also a member of the tennis club, and was known for having a very short temper and being physically violent. He'd been a regular the year before, but was dropped immediately after beating a freshman half to death. Now Fuji understood, Kiyoko got her brother to do her dirty work.

The tensai didn't get angry easily nor very often, but now his hands were balled into fists as his sides and his trademark smile was long forgotten.

"What do you want from me?" Fuji growled out, and watched the smirk of victory slide across her lips.

"Kiss me."

The tensai opened his mouth to refuse, but then he thought over what she said and cursed under his breath before pressing her against the fence and kissing her. He quickly reminded himself that he was only appeasing her now to make sure Yuuta was safe.

The kiss was wet and sloppy, and when Fuji heard the door blow open behind him he took the opportunity to get away from her as quickly as he could. But when he caught sight of Tezuka as he fled down the stairway, his heart sunk into the pit of his stomach. He called after the vice-captain over and over, but if anything Tezuka sped up. And when Fuji finally caught up to him at the bottom of the stairs Tezuka only coldly told him to go to class.

Fuji spent the rest of his class periods trying to find a way to correct the situation, but nothing was coming to mind. He had to correct things with Kiyoko before they got out of hand, and she was already furious at him for abandoning her earlier on the roof. As the bell rang and class ended, Fuji let Tezuka walk by without a word. First things first, he had to talk to Kiyoko; but when he turned around to look for her she was already gone.

Completely frustrated, Fuji packed up his things and headed for the tennis clubhouse. By the time he got there, Tezuka was already changed and on the courts. Fuji walked into the clubhouse, slammed his bag down in front of his locker, and started changing.

"Nya, Fujiko-chan, are you alright?"

The tensai turned to face Kikumaru and gave his best attempt at a smile.

"I'm fine, Eiji, just having a bad day."

Kikumaru feigned a look of shock, "You man you have bad days like the rest of us?"

This time Fuji didn't have to fake his smile; Kikumaru always knew how to cheer him up.

"Shh, it's a secret."

Fuji finished putting his shoes back on, threw his stuff into his locker, grabbed his racket and walked out onto the courts as Kikumaru threw an arm over his shoulders. As soon as Fuji got out there, he noticed Ryuu was missing. Ever since the incident with that freshman, everyone kept an eye on Ryuu, and as Fuji warmed up with Kikumaru and time passed without Ryuu showing up for practice Fuji started to worry.

Tezuka kept them busy playing matches against each other all practice, and for a time Fuji forgot his fears and just played as he always did. As usual, tennis was his escape, but when practice ended his fears came back full force. Fuji forgot about Tezuka and Kiyoko, and even skipped changing and taking a shower in his haste to ensure Yuuta was safe. He yelled a goodbye to Kikumaru and barely remembered to grab his bag before taking off at a run in the general direction of his house.

Halfway there, he turned down an alley he knew Yuuta liked to take which he claimed took ten minutes off the walk. The tensai rounded the corner and took off at a jog without looking where he was going and tripped over something in the alley. Fuji cursed quietly and barely caught his balance before he fell forward onto his hands and knees. He turned briefly to glance at whatever he tripped over, and when he saw only a tennis shoe behind him his curiosity got the better of him.

Fuji glanced up at the owner of the shoe who was lying on the ground, and it took a few moments for him to recognize the boy as his brother.

"Yuuta?" He called softly, not wanting to believe the heap in a corner of a darkening alley was truly his little brother.

When he got no response, Fuji knelt beside Yuuta and shook him very gently.

"Yuuta."

A very quiet moan of pain was all he got in return, but Fuji let out his breath in a huff of relief.

"Yuuta, what happened? Talk to me."

Yuuta attempted to open his eyes, but his right eye was already beginning to swell and he could only open it halfway.

"Aniki?" He called softly, turning his head toward the sound of his brother's voice.

"Yes, it's me. Who did this to you?"

Fuji had a fairly good idea, but he waited for Yuuta to confirm his fears.

"Who do you think? It was that bastard Ryuu."

The tensai cursed, and for the second time that day he was truly angry.

"I won't let him get away with this again." Fuji growled, but snapped out of his anger as soon as Yuuta reached up to grab his arm.

"Aniki, promise me you'll never do this to anyone. Not even Ryuu."

For a moment Fuji looked like he was going to argue, but after a moment's hesitation he nodded.

"I promise, Yuuta. I'll get back at him another way."

"You can't use me either, Syusuke. Someone needs to catch him or he'll get out of it just like last time."

The tensai wanted to argue, but he knew that Yuuta was right and his anger was making him think irrationally. So instead Fuji very gently helped Yuuta to sit up.

Yuuta bit down on the uninjured side of his lower lip, but stubbornly made no other noise as Fuji helped him first to sit up and then to stand.

Even after Fuji slung Yuuta's arm over his shoulders and coaxed him down the alley, it was slow going. Fuji murmured encouragements softly as they walked, his face uncharacteristically serious with no trace of a smile and his eyes sparkling dangerously.

Yuuta was completely silent despite his pain, and held as much of his own weight as he could manage. The normally short trip down the alleyway seemed to go on forever, and when they reached the busy city street on the other side the sun was well on its way to setting in the distance.

Fuji steered his brother toward the nearest train stop, and when they boarded to find it nearly empty Fuji was silently relieved.

Yuuta, on the other hand, no longer even seemed aware of his surroundings. His eyes were glazed over and his attention obviously elsewhere; the only thing that brought him back was the sight of their house before him.

"Aniki, I can't let mother see me like this."

Fuji paused for a moment, his mind whirling through options before he seemed to settle on one and nodded.

"I'll take care of it."

Fuji opened the door and walked in, calling out an over loud and eager, "Tadaima!" as he changed into his house slippers.

Yuuta turned to him, wondering what he was up to, but Fuji only whispered quietly "Go" and turned to walk the opposite direction into the dining room.

Bounding into the room excitedly, a smile now wide on his face, Fuji raced up to the table where the two women of the family were sitting.

"Okaa-san, onee-chan, guess what?"

The two of them gave him odd looks, but it was his ever-curious sister that dared to ask.

"What?"

Fuji grinned, putting all of his effort into forcing his emotions out opposite of what he was feeling. As much as everything that happened that day had hurt, he had to protect Yuuta.

"That girl I was telling you about, I asked her out today."

Yumiko grinned and asked the obvious question Fuji was waiting for.

"And she said yes?"

He nodded.

"See, I told you it would work. You should bring her over for dinner so we can meet her."

Yoshiko was smiling as well as she listened to the conversation between two of her children, but before Fuji could make his retreat she spoke up.

"Did Yuuta come in with you?"

Without hesitation Fuji nodded.

"He said he was really tired though, he went out to play tennis on one of the street courts."

Yoshiko watched him for a moment longer before nodding to accept his answer.

"Well, if either of you get hungry, there's food in the kitchen."

"Alright, I'm going to start on my homework."

Fuji turned and walked up the stairs to the second floor where Yuuta had walked as they were talking. But Fuji couldn't go to him now, nor could he help him until after his mother and sister went to bed. He could only hope Yuuta would be okay until then. So instead, he went to his own room and sat down at his desk to start his homework.

Even as the hours passed, he didn't get much done. He kept thinking about everything that had happened and worrying about Yuuta. When at last he heard his mother's bedroom door close, he very quietly opened his door and went downstairs to the kitchen.

There he grabbed a washcloth, some ice, a small bowl of water and a bowl of the soup his mother had left out for them. He headed back upstairs and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw all the doors were still closed. The tensai snuck into the darkness of his brother's room and shut the door behind him. Using only the slivers of moonlight that made it through the blinds on the window, Fuji made his way to the bed where Yuuta lay on his back unmoving.

Fuji dumped his armful of things on the bedside table, moving the lamp and alarm clock out of the way to make room.

"Yuuta." He called, softly touching Yuuta's shoulder to get his attention.

Yuuta jumped away from him and glared in his general direction, having obviously been asleep and therefore slightly dazed.

"Yuuta, it's just me. It's Syusuke."

Yuuta relaxed, but his glare turned into a frown.

"Why are you here?"

Fuji flinched, but held up the bowl of water and the washcloth as a reply.

Yuuta's glare returned.

"Why?"

Fuji diverted his eyes and dampened a corner of the washcloth before gently wiping it across a cut on Yuuta's lower lip. He kept his attention completely fixed there and refused to look Yuuta in the eye as he answered.

"I'm sorry, this is all my fault."

Yuuta looked confused, but didn't stop Fuji as he knelt beside the bed and gently wiped at several cuts Fuji had acquired. Fuji didn't seem inclined to elaborate, so Yuuta grabbed and stilled his hand. After a few moments of stillness, Fuji slowly lifted his gaze to meet Yuuta's. Fuji sighed and diverted his eyes a second later, pausing to try and make sense himself of what happened.

"Ryuu's sister blackmailed me. She basically said that if I refused her she would have Ryuu go after you. I didn't believe her, so I refused her. I should have tried to warn you, or go after you when Ryuu didn't show up for practice. I could've been there, I could've stopped him. Yuuta, I'm so sorry."

Fuji let his eyes slip back up to Yuuta's with his last sentence, blinking away tears.

"This is all because of him, isn't it?" Yuuta spat out.

Fuji glanced at him quickly, clearly shocked, before looking away and standing abruptly to leave.

Yuuta held fast to his forearm, which he still had in his grasp, and stopped Fuji from walking out.

"Why him?"

Fuji glanced over his shoulder at his brother, but hesitated with his words.

"I don't know, Yuuta. I think I'm falling in love with him." He turned to face Yuuta, his voice breaking on his words; "Not that it matters after today."

This time it was Yuuta's turn to look away.

"I'm going to switch schools."

Fuji's face went blank, which Yuuta knew was his way of covering up his true emotions. Without waiting for a reply, Yuuta went on.

"Mizuki-san approached me on Friday at the street court I always go to. He said that there's room at Saint Rudolph's for someone with my skills in tennis. I know he was just flattering me to get me to agree, but at the time I didn't want to leave Seigaku. But now, after today, I want to go. I called Mizuki-san when I got up to my room. I start at Saint Rudolph's on Wednesday."

Fuji sat down on the side of the bed and leaned over his brother, one arm thrown across his chest in an awkward sort of hug.

Into his ear Fuji whispered, "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Yuuta took a deep breath, already regretting his next words.

"Aniki, it's a boarding school. I'll be staying in the dorm there."

Fuji lifted his had, and Yuuta tried his hardest to ignore the tears in his brother's eyes.

"Syusuke, stay with me tonight. Please?"

Fuji opened his mouth immediately to protest, but then paused to think it over. They hadn't slept in the same bed since years ago on a trip to the beach house. Before their father got his job overseas they used to spend every summer at a small house on the beach, but the sound of the waves at night had terrified Yuuta; so every night Fuji would sneak into his younger brother's room to comfort him. One night, their father caught them and sent Fuji back to his own bed with a bruised cheekbone, and they never slept together again. But this time their father wasn't there to catch them, so Fuji slowly nodded in assent.

Yuuta scooted over in the bed to give Fuji more room, and Fuji curled against his side, his head pillowed on Yuuta's shoulder. Neither of them knew which was comforting and which was being comforted, but they settled together easily on the bed as though they had never stopped sleeping together.

After Yuuta drifted off to sleep he didn't feel the gentle kiss pressed to his forehead or hear the last whispered apology before his brother fell asleep at his side. This time their sleep wasn't interrupted.

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**Japanese words:**

1) Tadaima: I'm home


End file.
